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Meagan Hill saw the ball rolling toward midcourt and Bogue Chitto’s Karly Leake ahead of her in pursuit. Hill dove to the Mississippi Coliseum floor, got the ball and teammate Lexi Elliot rewarded the effort with a 3-pointer.

With a determined attack and ferocious man defense, Pine Grove advanced to the Class 1A semifinals with a 42-35 win early Thursday morning over defending champion Bogue Chitto.

That play did not determine the outcome but helped define it.

“That’s just how we play. That’s one thing we try to encourage them to do, and they’ve kind of bought in a little bit more, to be scrappy,” Pine Grove coach Katie Bates said. “We don’t have a lot of meat on us so we have to find other ways. That was a big play, huge play.”

It gave the Panthers a 10-point lead in the third quarter. Pine Grove (28-6) held Bogue Chitto to nine points in the first half on 3-of-22 shooting. Every shot was contested.

Pine Grove had 20 turnovers but also forced 17 and held the Bobcats (19-11) to 25 percent shooting. Neither team scored double digits in the first two quarters but Bogue Chitto's handful was tough to come by. It took it nearly five minutes to score.

Bogue Chitto head coach Christi Terrell directs her team against Pine Grove during MHSAA Girls quarterfinal action held Thursday February 18, 2017 at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, MS. (Bob Smith-For The Clarion Ledger) Bob Smith, For The Clarion-Ledger

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Withstanding a run

Bogue Chitto leading scorer Terrah Nelson had only two points in the first half. She finished with 15 and nine boards and was a factor for the Bobcats. She scored nine of her team’s 13 in the third quarter. She had a steal and went for a layup to cut Pine Grove’s lead to four but missed because the defense got back quickly to contest.

The Panthers led by as many as 15 in the fourth before Bogue Chitto cut it to five. Hill made a pair of free throws with 20 seconds remaining to seal the win.

“Not happy with our late-game execution but at this point in the year, you’ve got to survive and advance,” Bates said. “That’s the name of the game.”

The Panthers will face Durant at 9 a.m. Monday in the semifinals with a championship berth on the line.

Well-balanced

Pine Grove freshman Loren Elliot scored a game-high 21 points with nine rebounds but like her coach, she spread the credit around.

“We’re that kind of team that doesn’t give up,” Elliot said. “We really want it and we work for it each day.”

Hill had four assists. Taylor Fletcher had a key steal that led to a fast-break layup in the fourth quarter. Haley Vick had six points and six rebounds. Lexi Elliot hit a pair of 3s.

“Total team, that’s what it’s all about,” Bates said. “That’s what I love about them. They just want to get out there and play and give it everything they’ve got.”